And school administrators apparently think they've got a secret weapon to make this happen: Mamadou Ndiaye, at 7-foot-6 the tallest collegiate basketball player in the nation and the star of a video invitation to the commander-in-chief. You know, Senegalese to Kenyan.

Anyway, the strategy is that Obama, a basketball fan who played on his high school varsity team in Hawaii in the 1970s (or was it in Kenya, Orly?), will be intrigued enough by the offer from Ndiaye to come on down. Plus, he can bundle the weekend with one of those giltzy invite-only Hollywood fund-raisers to pay down his campaign debt, build his presidential library fund and/or make connections for his future afternoon talk show.

A UCI faculty member is scheduled to fly to D.C. in the next couple of weeks to hand deliver the Ndiaye video, which also shows the rest of the Anteaters' basketball squad shooting hoops (You want some of this, Barry?).

Also hoped to be along for the ride will be mailbags stuffed with postcards and letters from UCI students and alumni requesting the president's presence at the June 14 commencement. Cathy Lawhon, a UCI spokeswoman, reportedly told the Register that the goal is to have 10,000 requests, 8,000 of which are in hand now.

Barack Obama can tell the students how he and The White House have done nothing to create jobs for their future. He can gloat about creating costly Obamacare that will have them "paying though the nose" to support Big Healthcare, the pharmaceutical companies and career politicians like himself!!! He's a joke and has done nothing to bring the US out of this "Lingering Recession"!!!

I didn't vote for him....but he is the President.....and deserves to be treated with respect......as far as jobs economy....yada yada....not his doing.....big bussiness.....the multinational companies.....stock market programs etc. etc. Are the true culprets

OC Weekly Nice, that'll be interesting to be there at that event. I have a great question to ask him and his administration ,( Mr. President Barack Obama, I'm a vegan, I have been a vegan for 3 to 4 years now and I was wondering what the best career path way is for me , so I can accomplish all my goals?) I'm a vegan but I don't have a job or work. I'm stuck in the USA governments meat grinder. What can I do to be more successful?

Obviously the invitation will not be successful unless it it bundled with an exclusive golf outing at Pelican Hill, a visit to Kobe's house, and an airtight plan to shut down the 405 and PCH and University Drive at rush hour. And don't forget that presidential protocol requires re-marking the ladies' tees as men's tees. Make sure to provide accommodations for Reggie Love and any of the Choom Gang who are in town, and have some hip-hop stars available for evening parties. And an adjunct plan to close Fashion Island for Mooch and her dogs to go shopping in private for more $10,000 outfits to keep her out of Barack's hair. Make sure to provide separate limo's, separate security, and separate transportation for all of the royal family, and don't forget transportation and day camp for her highness's dogs. It's planning in all the little details that make a plan work.

Actually, the non-"surprise! surprise!" is that the Register published yet another of its signature "feel good" news stories. Do you think they would have covered Jenna Jameson getting a video invite to speak at commencement?

Come to think of it, maybe they would...in the news section that UCI sponsors.

I've noticed fewer and fewer OC Register articles being behind the paywall. Almost all of them are partially readable and many are fully readable. I wonder if those who paid to read the articles now feel like suckers.